Chapter 55
At last, the day of the tea party arrived.
The servants of the annex put their whole effort into decorating the outdoor table.
The guests coming today were no ordinary people.
There were also strange rumors going around.
That one of them might become Lucy’s future husband.
The servants believed that the only way for Lucy, the abandoned princess, to improve her situation was through marriage.
So how important would today feel to them?
With their limited resources, they did their absolute best to prepare the tea party.
“The annex really feels lively today.”
Lucy, unaware of the servants’ thoughts, looked around the brightened garden with amazement.
A breeze mixed with the scent of flowers gently shook the white canopy, making her heart flutter for no reason.
“It’s a shame Bartholomew isn’t here.”
Still, today she had to focus on raising the male leads’ affection.
This might be the last chance to invite all three of them to one place and spend time with them privately.
In some ways, it was even more important than a social party.
As Lucy was looking around the tea party area—
Ding!
[Sudden Event Occurred!]
“A sudden event?”
Lucy looked at the system window in confusion.
[You gathered the male leads in one place using your own efforts.]
[Affection Buff applied.]
[Male leads’ affection will increase twice as fast.]
[Good luck.]
Lucy’s eyes sparkled.
“An affection buff event!”
It was exactly the kind of event Lucy had been hoping for.
The system window, which usually only annoyed her, looked strangely lovable today.
“If affection normally goes up by 10, that means it’ll go up by 20 now.”
Lucy’s determination burned.
She was determined to make today’s tea party perfect.
She even started looking forward to the male leads’ arrival.
After some time passed, the first guest arrived at the annex.
It was Cecil.
“Cecil!”
Lucy smiled brighter and more cheerfully than usual.
It was because of the affection buff event, but to Cecil, it looked like she was genuinely happy to see him after a long time.
Cecil no longer felt confused by Lucy’s bright smile.
Instead, he gave her a faint smile in return.
He felt he should respond to her warm welcome, and Lucy’s smile made people feel good.
Lucy widened her eyes when she saw Cecil smiling for the first time.
“So Cecil can smile too.”
If she joked about it, he might never smile again.
If it were Bartholomew, she would have joked right away, but since it was Cecil, she held back.
“It really feels meaningful.”
Lucy thought back to their first meeting.
From tearing his precious cloak, to returning his important belongings, and now seeing his smile.
It really was touching.
“Princess Lucy, thank you for the invitation. It’s nothing much, but I brought you a gift.”
At the word “gift,” Lucy’s eyes widened.
She had only thought about giving gifts to the male leads—she never expected to receive one.
And receiving the first gift from Cecil made it even more meaningful.
“It’s herbal tea.”
The light in Lucy’s eyes instantly dimmed.
“What’s wrong?” Cecil asked.
“Oh, nothing.”
Lucy quickly shook her head.
It was probably herbal tea he had personally blended for her.
“It’s going to be very bitter, though.”
Still, appreciating his sincerity, Lucy accepted the gift.
“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”
So Cecil was the practical type when it came to gifts.
As Lucy thought that—
The second guest arrived.
It was Logan.
“Logan. You came.”
Lucy had secretly worried that Logan might not come.
He didn’t like gatherings like this.
“Princess Lucy.”
He greeted her politely.
His behavior was always disciplined, just like a knight’s.
“I also brought a small gift.”
Lucy’s eyes widened again.
Logan brought a gift too?
She felt curious.
What could it be?
“Looks like his affection really has been increasing.”
Maybe Lucy was the first noblewoman to receive a gift from him.
“It’s a dagger.”
Logan took a dagger from his clothes and handed it to Lucy.
What did it mean to give someone a weapon?
“At least it’s not romantic.”
Lucy accepted the dagger with a confused expression.
“I believe one should always carry a weapon to protect oneself,” Logan said seriously.
“When you got lost in the mountains before, even something like this would have been helpful.”
Lucy stared at Logan with wide eyes.
“So you were very worried when I got lost in the mountains.”
“……”
“Thank you, Logan.”
Lucy smiled brightly at him.
Logan said nothing, but the tips of his ears turned slightly red.
Then the third guest appeared.
It was Patrick.
“Patrick.”
Lucy called his name.
She hadn’t liked Patrick much before, but her impression of him had been slowly changing.
She had been surprised to learn that he went out to search for her when she was lost in the mountains.
Not only that.
He had also given her the chance to hold this tea party and thank everyone properly.
“He’s more considerate than I thought.”
Maybe her bad feelings from her previous life had stopped her from seeing Patrick clearly.
Lucy began to look at him with less prejudice.
“You brought a gift as well,” Lucy said with a faint smile, looking at his hands.
In response, Patrick handed her the bouquet he was holding.
They were blue roses that could only be grown through magic.
Rare and hard to obtain flowers.
“I figured these two wouldn’t bring flowers,” Patrick said with a smile.
For the first time, Lucy wanted to believe that gentle smile.
“Thank you.”
Lucy accepted the bouquet with gratitude.
The rare blue roses were beautiful.
Even though this was a dating simulation game, she had never received a bouquet before.
Patrick clearly knew what romance was.
“Now that everyone’s here, shall we start the tea party?”
Lucy led the three men to the outdoor table.
The three men took their seats, and Lucy sat at the head of the table.
The servants brought out desserts and teapots.
“Inviting all three was fine, but…”
Lucy felt a little flustered.
An awkward silence fell over the table.
“What should I say first?”
Should she ask how they had been?
While Lucy was hesitating, Patrick spoke up.
“Isn’t Lord Bartholomew attending?”
Patrick seemed curious about Bartholomew.
“Lord Bartholomew couldn’t attend due to personal reasons,” Lucy answered carefully.
She didn’t want them to think badly of Bartholomew.
After all, they had made time to come today, and she didn’t want to make their effort seem meaningless.
At the mention of Bartholomew, Cecil fell into thought.
Bartholomew was someone he couldn’t understand.
“I thought he was just a sick patient.”
That day, when Cecil healed Bartholomew’s arm, he had encountered a strange barrier.
It was something Cecil’s mana couldn’t heal.
“If that kind of power is rooted in his heart…”
Sadly, Bartholomew wouldn’t be able to live long.
It wouldn’t be strange if he died tomorrow.
Cecil looked at Lucy.
“Does the princess know that?”
Seeing Lucy’s innocent face, Cecil decided not to say anything.
He felt it would be meddling too much.
Just as Cecil came back to his senses—
“Actually, I prepared gifts for all of you too, to show my gratitude.”
Lucy spoke while looking at the three men.
At last, it was time to see the results of all her hard fishing.
